Altogether 22 members of the team -- all 20 players and coaches Jack Stefanowski and Richard Orlowski -- received Rs 250,000 each. Two physiotherapists -- Shmad Adikatila and Suraj Bhusal -- and technical director Krishna Thapa received Rs 100,000 each.[break]
Nepal was defeated 1-0 in the semifinal by eventual champion Afghanistan on September 8. Nepal had entered the semifinals as the winner of Group A remaining undefeated. Nepal had defeated Bangladesh 2-0 and India 2-1 in the group stage and played a 1-1 draw with Pakistan.
"We were not beaten in terms of performance in the tournament. Maybe the title was more important to Afghanistan that had gone through decades of war," said ANFA President Ganesh Thapa. "It is difficult not only for the team but for the whole country to forget the defeat," said Thapa, adding that the tournament had created such a football atmosphere in the country after more than three decades. He also expressed satisfaction over the efforts of players and coaches during the tournament.
National team skipper Sagar Thapa said the team tried it best but failed to keep the winner´s trophy at home. "We gave our best, but our dream of winning the trophy once against remained unfulfilled," said Thapa, describing the wins against India and Bangladesh and the draw against Pakistan as the team´s achievements during the tournament. Thapa also promised to perform better in the future.
Coach Jack Stefanowski said the tournament was a great experience and has given lots of hope to Nepali football for the future. He was also full of praise for the fans and described playing in front of the Nepali fans as one of the best experiences in the world. "The fans and the team showed tremendous passion," said the coach.
Team manager Lalit Krishna Shrestha apologized for failing to keep the promise they had made after the semifinal exit in New Delhi in 2011. "Though we failed to win the tournament, we won the hearts of the Nepali people. Every player gave his best in the tournament," Shrestha said.
Nepali Team
Players: Kiran Chemjong, Ritesh Thapa, Bishal Shrestha, Sagar Thapa (C), Biraj Maharjan, Rabin Shrestha, Sabindra Shrestha, Sandip Rai, Rohit Chand, Raju Tamang, Bhola Silwal, Bikram Lama, Tanka Basnet, Prakash Budhathoki, Jagjeet Shrestha, Anil Gurung, Jumanu Rai, Bharat Khawas, Santosh Sahukhala, Bimal Gharti Magar
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